Don’t rush gun controls

December 26, 2012

Amad dash is on to limit Americans' right to certain firearms in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn.

This is a terrible event in the nation's history. People are rightfully upset about the deaths of 26 people - 20 children and six adults - at the school.

But lawmakers need to take a deep breath and not rush to make major changes.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday chose Vice President Joe Biden to lead an effort to come up with "concrete proposals" no later than January that the president said he will push in Congress "without delay."

We agree that proposals need to be looked at in the wake of this national tragedy, but it needs to be a much deeper look than limiting access to weapons in possible violation of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

According to Fox News, shooter Adam Lanza was apparently very upset that his mother, Nancy, started to file court papers that may have led to Lanza's involuntary mental health commitment. Nancy Lanza also looked at moving her son to Washington and a school she thought could help him, The Washington Post reported.

This could be what pushed Lanza, who authorities said used a rifle and two handguns in the massacre, over the edge, shooting his mother first at their home before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary.

"We're going to have to look at mental health issues. We're going to have to look at schools. There is going to be a whole range of things that [the vice president's] group looks at," Obama said in a response to a question at a news conference on Wednesday.

Proper access to mental health care is a major issue that needs to be considered by Congress, well before any talk of limiting access to firearms.